Had been looking forward to this trip for a long time, especially when QR announced the PER-DOH segment would be flown on the new 787. Unfortunately that didn't happen, but the 777 was a reasonable substitute. Sadly I have no pictures to share, but the setup on these flights was pretty standard. The Qatar service from Perth is still reasonably new, so hopefully these notes will be of interest. Qatar fly a once daily service from Perth to Doha, leaving at 22:45 using a 777-200ER. The return flight arrives at 17:30.
Perth:
Perth International is pretty old and tired and the new expansions are still some months away. We arrived early for a 22:45 departure. Checkin was painless (no queue) and we were directed to the Malaysia lounge. This is a small and rather dowdy room but adequate for the small number of pax present. The room was presided over by a motherly lady who made sure we were comfortable and had adequate nibbles and drinks (no food service). The same motherly type came around and informed us individually when it was time to go to the gate.
PER - DOH Seat 2J, 2K:
On board we were escorted to our seat and offered water, juice or champagne. J was about half full, so the cabin felt spacious and there were plenty of staff to go round. The seats are full flat side-by-side types in a 2-2-2 arrangement. Quite comfortable with adequate storage space and 17" IFE screens. I don't know what the seat pitch was, but it was more than adequate.
The choice of movies was very good including a lot of brand new releases plus old classics. The TV selection was less inspiring, with a lot of American sitcoms. There were also a large number of movies and TV shows in foreign languages, mainly French and Arabic. The noise cancelling headphones were very effective but got rather tight after an hour or so. (I could ease the pressure by removing my glasses, but then I couldn't see the screen).
Neither of us are gastronomes or wine buffs, and at that hour of the night we really didn't want a gourmet meal anyhow, so we just had some light snacks, watched a movie and went to sleep. The lie-flat beds were quite comfortable with a thin mattress provided, plus PJs, slippers and eye shade. Despite periodic turbulence, I slept well, for the first time on an aircraft in many years.
Breakfast featured an excellent selection. I had a smoothie and fruit, plus a well-made cappuccino. SWMBO had the "carrot and something soup. It was really yummy".
Doha:
With the opening of the new Doha airport still some way off, we arrived at the old airport, parked somewhere in a huge field of aircraft and were transported by "limousine or luxury coach" to the premium terminal. The "limousine or luxury coach" was a standard airport bus and it was a long drive. On the way SWMBO realised she'd left her Kindle on board. A word to the agents at the terminal, and the Kindle was waiting for us on the aircraft for the next sector.
The Doha premium terminal is large and well appointed. You do need to go through a rather perfunctory security on the way in, which is a bit silly as you've just got OFF the plane, but never mind. Downstairs comprises security, checkin/out gates and a large duty free shop. Upstairs the area is divided into the excellent business lounge and the presumably sumptuous first class lounge. In business there were three buffet stations, several dessert stations and several drinks stations. Staff were attentive and reasonably friendly which was a fine effort at six in the morning, and given the thousands of pax who must pass through the space every day.
There are no PA announcements to call flights, but staff circulate around the lounge advising when it's time to go down to the gates. From there it's back on the bus and out to the plane.
DOH - CDG Seat 12A, 12B:
This leg was flown in an A340, which has a three-class setup. Again J was about half full. The seats were the older angled/flat type and seat pitch was much less than on the 777. In addition there was insufficient storage room around the seat by the time you were provided with slippers, headphones, amenities kit etc. I found the seat rather hard and uncomfortable. After a snack (we didn't want breakfast again) I started watching a movie but fell asleep. I put the seat into its sleeping mode and slept fitfully most of the way to Paris. There must have been lunch in there somewhere but I really can't remember - I do recall that the FAs were concerned we hadn't had enough to eat or drink, but I was fine.
Popping through the cloud layer at CDG, everything was covered in snow - this was an unexpected surprise. There was a slow and very long taxi to the terminal (it seemed like half an hour, but was probably much shorter).
Paris:
We had heard horror stories about CDG but in fact the process wasn't too painful. Apart from the fact we were directed into the queue for EU citizens then had to get on the non-EU queue, everything else went smoothly. Our bags were among the first out, we found the shuttle train easily enough and got on the RER train to central Paris with no problems. The only issue came when we left the station through the wrong exit and had a pretty long walk through the snow to our hotel.
Nice:
Nice Cote D'azur is only a short distance from downtown Nice, but the terminals are located at the far end, and the street system is not exactly direct. Qatar use terminal 1, which is large and somewhat agricultural. but serves its purpose. Checkin was a bit haphazard - there were only two agents working and they were both involved in an argument with a passenger, apparently over his overweight luggage. Once checked in we proceeded to security. There was a priority lane but it was closed, so we went through the general lanes, which was not a problem at this time of the day.
All the airlines share a lounge in this terminal - it was large, bland and anonymous. There were drinks and nibbles, and not much more.
NCE-MPX-DOH Seat 3A, 3B:
For the short hop to Milan we were the only passengers in J, so got lots of personal attention. The flight was loaded quickly and we pushed back 10 minutes early.
This leg was on an A330, with seats the same as the A340.
The stop in Milan was quite long - around 90 minutes - while waiting for a take-off slot. Once under way we had brunch, followed by a movie, followed by an afternoon meal, landing in Doha at approx 18:30. We found the crew on this sector were not well coordinated. Several times we were asked twice for our orders and either brought the wrong thing or the same thing twice. It seemed to be a case of too many staff serving a half-full cabin and all trying to do their best but with nobody properly coordinating their efforts.
Doha again:
We had a seven hour layover in Doha. We had considered trying to arrange a brief excursion but given the multiple terminal setup (there is no customs or immigration at the premium transfer terminal) and the apparent inability of the Qatar personnel to do something out of the ordinary, we decided not to bother. We filled in the time reading, eating and browsing the duty free. There are a number of lounges where we could have stretched out for a nap, but these had all been "reserved" (shades of the towel on the sun lounge syndrome).
Our flight having been called, we were informed at the gate that there was a 15 minute delay, so there was a bit of aimless milling around until it was time to get back on the bus.
DOH-PER Seat 3A, 3B:
Again, a half full cabin. With takeoff in the wee hours, we just had a quick drink and snack and hit the hay.
Breakfast somewhere over the Indian Ocean and lunch somewhere west of Perth. The flight was smooth and comfortable and the FAs very attentive. As usual they ensured we had plenty to eat and drink and seemed concerned at our modest requirements. There was no chance of us going away hungry!
Perth, again:
Although we were among the first off the plane, SWMBO insisted on some last minute duty free, so we weren't first out of the terminal. We were rather peeved later to see that First Duty Free had charged us a dollar for the bag into which our goodies were packed as well as a credit card surcharge. No objection in principal to these charges, but nothing was said at checkout and they just showed up on the receipt.
As usual, only half the immigration gates were manned (have you ever been to an airport where they are all manned?) but we got through pretty quickly. Our bags were among the first out. Having learned from previous bitter experience, we had absolutely nothing organic to declare and thus avoided the interminable quarantine queue. We got straight into a taxi, which had a flat tyre on the way home, but that's another story...
Overall conclusions:
It's a long way from Perth to anywhere and travelling cattle class is not the way to go. At the time of booking, Qatar offered the lowest one stop business fare to Paris, and was heavily promoting itself as the world's best airline. I was interested in seeing how their claims stack up - in general, pretty well. The service was excellent, if a little patchy. The food and drink were more than adequate for my modest needs, and the 777 experience was extremely comfortable. The A340 and A330 were not quite to the same standard, but pretty good for a (long) daylight sector.
The Doha premium terminal is excellent, and the new airport promises to be even better.
If I do have reservations, it's that things seem to be run according to a script. This resolved itself in a certain lack of personal involvement by some of the FAs and by some difficulty in doing things outside the ordinary (such as a spontaneous excursion in Doha). I don't do enough international flying to really judge if Qatar are the best - however between Perth and Europe they do provide a very acceptable service at a price which was substantially lower than the competition. With the QF/EK alliance now up and flying, Qatar joining One World, and an A380 pier opening in Perth next year, it looks like interesting times ahead.
Perth:
Perth International is pretty old and tired and the new expansions are still some months away. We arrived early for a 22:45 departure. Checkin was painless (no queue) and we were directed to the Malaysia lounge. This is a small and rather dowdy room but adequate for the small number of pax present. The room was presided over by a motherly lady who made sure we were comfortable and had adequate nibbles and drinks (no food service). The same motherly type came around and informed us individually when it was time to go to the gate.
PER - DOH Seat 2J, 2K:
On board we were escorted to our seat and offered water, juice or champagne. J was about half full, so the cabin felt spacious and there were plenty of staff to go round. The seats are full flat side-by-side types in a 2-2-2 arrangement. Quite comfortable with adequate storage space and 17" IFE screens. I don't know what the seat pitch was, but it was more than adequate.
The choice of movies was very good including a lot of brand new releases plus old classics. The TV selection was less inspiring, with a lot of American sitcoms. There were also a large number of movies and TV shows in foreign languages, mainly French and Arabic. The noise cancelling headphones were very effective but got rather tight after an hour or so. (I could ease the pressure by removing my glasses, but then I couldn't see the screen).
Neither of us are gastronomes or wine buffs, and at that hour of the night we really didn't want a gourmet meal anyhow, so we just had some light snacks, watched a movie and went to sleep. The lie-flat beds were quite comfortable with a thin mattress provided, plus PJs, slippers and eye shade. Despite periodic turbulence, I slept well, for the first time on an aircraft in many years.
Breakfast featured an excellent selection. I had a smoothie and fruit, plus a well-made cappuccino. SWMBO had the "carrot and something soup. It was really yummy".
Doha:
With the opening of the new Doha airport still some way off, we arrived at the old airport, parked somewhere in a huge field of aircraft and were transported by "limousine or luxury coach" to the premium terminal. The "limousine or luxury coach" was a standard airport bus and it was a long drive. On the way SWMBO realised she'd left her Kindle on board. A word to the agents at the terminal, and the Kindle was waiting for us on the aircraft for the next sector.
The Doha premium terminal is large and well appointed. You do need to go through a rather perfunctory security on the way in, which is a bit silly as you've just got OFF the plane, but never mind. Downstairs comprises security, checkin/out gates and a large duty free shop. Upstairs the area is divided into the excellent business lounge and the presumably sumptuous first class lounge. In business there were three buffet stations, several dessert stations and several drinks stations. Staff were attentive and reasonably friendly which was a fine effort at six in the morning, and given the thousands of pax who must pass through the space every day.
There are no PA announcements to call flights, but staff circulate around the lounge advising when it's time to go down to the gates. From there it's back on the bus and out to the plane.
DOH - CDG Seat 12A, 12B:
This leg was flown in an A340, which has a three-class setup. Again J was about half full. The seats were the older angled/flat type and seat pitch was much less than on the 777. In addition there was insufficient storage room around the seat by the time you were provided with slippers, headphones, amenities kit etc. I found the seat rather hard and uncomfortable. After a snack (we didn't want breakfast again) I started watching a movie but fell asleep. I put the seat into its sleeping mode and slept fitfully most of the way to Paris. There must have been lunch in there somewhere but I really can't remember - I do recall that the FAs were concerned we hadn't had enough to eat or drink, but I was fine.
Popping through the cloud layer at CDG, everything was covered in snow - this was an unexpected surprise. There was a slow and very long taxi to the terminal (it seemed like half an hour, but was probably much shorter).
Paris:
We had heard horror stories about CDG but in fact the process wasn't too painful. Apart from the fact we were directed into the queue for EU citizens then had to get on the non-EU queue, everything else went smoothly. Our bags were among the first out, we found the shuttle train easily enough and got on the RER train to central Paris with no problems. The only issue came when we left the station through the wrong exit and had a pretty long walk through the snow to our hotel.
Nice:
Nice Cote D'azur is only a short distance from downtown Nice, but the terminals are located at the far end, and the street system is not exactly direct. Qatar use terminal 1, which is large and somewhat agricultural. but serves its purpose. Checkin was a bit haphazard - there were only two agents working and they were both involved in an argument with a passenger, apparently over his overweight luggage. Once checked in we proceeded to security. There was a priority lane but it was closed, so we went through the general lanes, which was not a problem at this time of the day.
All the airlines share a lounge in this terminal - it was large, bland and anonymous. There were drinks and nibbles, and not much more.
NCE-MPX-DOH Seat 3A, 3B:
For the short hop to Milan we were the only passengers in J, so got lots of personal attention. The flight was loaded quickly and we pushed back 10 minutes early.
This leg was on an A330, with seats the same as the A340.
The stop in Milan was quite long - around 90 minutes - while waiting for a take-off slot. Once under way we had brunch, followed by a movie, followed by an afternoon meal, landing in Doha at approx 18:30. We found the crew on this sector were not well coordinated. Several times we were asked twice for our orders and either brought the wrong thing or the same thing twice. It seemed to be a case of too many staff serving a half-full cabin and all trying to do their best but with nobody properly coordinating their efforts.
Doha again:
We had a seven hour layover in Doha. We had considered trying to arrange a brief excursion but given the multiple terminal setup (there is no customs or immigration at the premium transfer terminal) and the apparent inability of the Qatar personnel to do something out of the ordinary, we decided not to bother. We filled in the time reading, eating and browsing the duty free. There are a number of lounges where we could have stretched out for a nap, but these had all been "reserved" (shades of the towel on the sun lounge syndrome).
Our flight having been called, we were informed at the gate that there was a 15 minute delay, so there was a bit of aimless milling around until it was time to get back on the bus.
DOH-PER Seat 3A, 3B:
Again, a half full cabin. With takeoff in the wee hours, we just had a quick drink and snack and hit the hay.
Breakfast somewhere over the Indian Ocean and lunch somewhere west of Perth. The flight was smooth and comfortable and the FAs very attentive. As usual they ensured we had plenty to eat and drink and seemed concerned at our modest requirements. There was no chance of us going away hungry!
Perth, again:
Although we were among the first off the plane, SWMBO insisted on some last minute duty free, so we weren't first out of the terminal. We were rather peeved later to see that First Duty Free had charged us a dollar for the bag into which our goodies were packed as well as a credit card surcharge. No objection in principal to these charges, but nothing was said at checkout and they just showed up on the receipt.
As usual, only half the immigration gates were manned (have you ever been to an airport where they are all manned?) but we got through pretty quickly. Our bags were among the first out. Having learned from previous bitter experience, we had absolutely nothing organic to declare and thus avoided the interminable quarantine queue. We got straight into a taxi, which had a flat tyre on the way home, but that's another story...
Overall conclusions:
It's a long way from Perth to anywhere and travelling cattle class is not the way to go. At the time of booking, Qatar offered the lowest one stop business fare to Paris, and was heavily promoting itself as the world's best airline. I was interested in seeing how their claims stack up - in general, pretty well. The service was excellent, if a little patchy. The food and drink were more than adequate for my modest needs, and the 777 experience was extremely comfortable. The A340 and A330 were not quite to the same standard, but pretty good for a (long) daylight sector.
The Doha premium terminal is excellent, and the new airport promises to be even better.
If I do have reservations, it's that things seem to be run according to a script. This resolved itself in a certain lack of personal involvement by some of the FAs and by some difficulty in doing things outside the ordinary (such as a spontaneous excursion in Doha). I don't do enough international flying to really judge if Qatar are the best - however between Perth and Europe they do provide a very acceptable service at a price which was substantially lower than the competition. With the QF/EK alliance now up and flying, Qatar joining One World, and an A380 pier opening in Perth next year, it looks like interesting times ahead.
